Cowboys announce news conference

The Dallas Cowboys have announced a news conference for 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Cowboys Stadium, presumably to introduce their new head coach.

Jason Garrett is the frontrunner for the job after leading the Cowboys to a 5-3 record following the firing of Wade Phillips at midseason. Dallas started 1-7 under Phillips.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday he planned to have his coaching search completed by the end of this week. In the past 48 hours, Jones satisfied the NFL’s Rooney Rule by interviewing two black candidates: Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman and Miami Dolphins assistant head coach/secondary Todd Bowles.

Garrett and Bowles were among the 10 candidates Jones interviewed in 2007, the last time the position was open.

Garrett, a backup quarterback to Troy Aikman during the Cowboys’ Super Bowl era in the 1990s, has been the team’s offensive coordinator since 2007. One of the things working in his favor is his long relationship with Jones.

“My relationship with him is good and has been good for a number of years,” Garrett said. “When you’re a player or a coach working for Jerry Jones, you understand his commitment to winning and what he wants to do each and every day to help you achieve that, and that’s what you appreciate. I certainly appreciated it when I was playing here and as an assistant and I have over the last eight weeks.”

The Cowboys’ 6-10 finish marked the club’s first losing season since 2004 and will be remembered as one of its most disappointing campaigns. Dallas entered the season harboring Super Bowl aspirations and desperately wanted to play the big game in its own stadium.